All the consideration of the respective merits of potential Champions League opponents has now been rendered completely irrelevant. With brutal simplicity the matter has been boiled down to a single truth. To reach the coveted Group Stages place, Celtic have to overcome Helsingborgs IF in a two leg tie; away in Sweden on Tuesday evening, the 21st, and back at Celtic Park for the decisive second leg on August 29th.

So what awaits Celtic in this challenge, and how likely is it that the dream of Group Stage qualification will be realised?

There are two pieces of good news from the last few days which make Celtic an even stronger favourite to progress than they were when the draw was made last week. The first is that on Wednesday of last week Helsingborg sold their most dangerous player. Helsingborg are a competent rather than strong team. Despite being Swedish champions only one of their players made the squad for Euro 2012 and their non-Swedish players are hardly international class stars. On an individual basis the Celtic player pool is far more talented and diverse than the Helsingborg one. Helsingborg do not have a single player of class and distinction, no-one that Celtic need pay particular attention to in order to stifle their threat.

His departure days before the Celtic game a major blow to Helsinborg

Remarkably, the player most likely to have posed a danger to Celtic, Alfred Finnbogason, has been transferred within the last few days to Heerenveen of Holland. Finnbogason signed for Helsingborg on loan in March 2012 and in 5 months contributed around 20 goals, making him by far their most dangerous strike threat. A crucial goal against Slask Wroclaw in the last qualifying Round first leg in Poland emphasised his level of ability. Helsingborg had hoped to sign Finnbogason, an Icelandic internationalist, on a permanent basis but Heerenveen made his Belgian club Lokeren a much higher offer, and Finnbogason himself was clear that a transfer to Holland was a superior career move to remaining permanently in Sweden. So last week, just days before Helsingborg’s biggest game ever, he jumped ship, not even hanging around to see them face Celtic.

The effect on Helsingborg is a bit like as if Celtic had sold Gary Hooper this week. The move will certainly greatly diminish the attacking threat to Celtic from Helsingborg. Celtic fans will not tremble at the news that Helsingborg have replaced Finnbogason with Alexander Bedoya from Rangers. Particularly since it seems their intention to play this midfielder as a striker. The only other striker of note Helsingborg have is the Norwegian Thomas Sorum, a fairly pedestrian player although he did score a hattrick against Slask Wroclaw in the last round. They also have Alvaro Santos, a Brazilian much loved by their fans. But this adoration is due more to his role in securing their previous League title in 1999 rather than any more recent exploits. Alvaro Santos is at best a journeyman who has served mediocre European clubs without particular distinction for a decade before returning to Helsingborg where his fitness has not been in any great evidence. He has only contributed 3 league goals since his return. So not a lot to fear up front.

The other piece of good news is that while Celtic may be slightly discomfited by the embarrassment of their failure to beat Ross County on Saturday, Helsingborg suffered a much more devastating blow to their morale the same day. Beaten 2-1 by the league leaders, their traditional deadly rivals Elsborg, Helsinmgborg almost certainly relinquished all remaining hope of hanging onto their league title. The defeat by their neighbours leaves them 10 points behind Elfsborg with only 11 games left. They did put up a fight, leading 1-0 at halftime before succumbing in a gruelling second half, the physical and mental strain of which is hardly good preparation for the game against Celtic only some 72 hours later. The Helsingborg goal was scored by Bedoya, justifying some of the faith put in him by the coach but really the man is no striker. Sorum, the main man up front, struggled and was replaced halfway through the second half. Alvaro Santos did come on later but showed nothing to worry Celtic in his belated return to competitive action.

Helsingborg tend to play a conventional 4:4:2, or at least did until Finnbogason’s transfer. Tomorrow, if Helsingborgs really try to win, Sorum is likely to be joined by Alvaro Santos. If they play more cautiously Bedoya will probably play in the hole slightly behind Sorum.

Par Hansson the only current Swedish internationalist

The Helsinborg defence is well marshalled by keeper Par Hannson, who played all three of Sweden’s Euro 2012 games. He is a sound enough keeper but not outstanding. In front of him is an aging back four, well-organised but without great individual talent. The midfield four are a diverse and polyglot lot. In the middle normally are Gashi, born in Kosovo but now playing for Norway and May Mahlangu, a 23 year old South African internationalist. On the flanks will probably be any two from Bouaouzan a Dutch player of some distinction, and two veteran Swedes, Lindstrom and Anderssen. The two recent signings Bedoya and David Accam a young Ghanaian will probably feature at some stage.

The main danger for Celtic is likely to come from the experience and savvy of the manager, Age Hareide rather than any of his players. Hareide is one of the few managers to have coached title winning sides in three different European countries, if only Sweden Norway and Denmark. He was the coach when Helsingborg won their title in 1999 but is probably best known for an undistinguished spell as boss of Norway following a title success with Rosenborg. He did not coach Helsingborg to their current title, only taking over, on a temporary basis, when the title winning coach left unexpectedly. Hareide was welcomed back by the Helsingborg faithful but while hugely experienced and crafty, he is not known for an adventurous spirit and is unlikely to send out a team to attack Celtic relentlessly from the start.

All told Celtic should be far superior to this Helsingborg side and should be able to bring a favourable result back from the tight Olimpia Stadium, before comfortably securing their Group Stage place before their own fans on the 29th.

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1 Comment for this entry

I look forward to your next Blog – this year could be as good as 1967 if they continue to play with the spirit they showed on Wednesday against Spartak. With Rangers indisposed they can focus on Europe

GreenGreenWorld

GreenGreenWorld is a football blog produced by SISIF, (the Sherbrooke Institute for the Study of International Football). The SISIF Director, Sandy Jamieson, has been an active student of world football for over 40 years and has an extensive network of information, knowledge and contacts in Europe, South America and the rest of the football world. Although SISIF is based in Glasgow, Sandy currently spends most time at his home in Spain where he is finishing a book about Villarreal, “The Yellow Submarine”. He is a writer/consultant and his previously published novels “Own Goal” and “The Great Escape?” are available from Ringwood Publishing or Amazon. Mainstream published his previous book on Scottish football.

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